[BC] WLS Tx History Update

[peterh5322 at rattlebrain.com]

> WCCO was late in adding a second site, feeding a rented tower.  (They had
> once used a long-wire backup scheme, but that fell into disuse.)
>
> Latest news is that they're abandoning the second tower site and going
> back
> to the long-wire idea.
>
> You gotta love CBS..."hey, let's jeopardize the market's best-billing
> station, to save a few dollars in rental fees."  <g>

KNBR (then as KPO) was amongst the last former I-As (yeah, KPO was a I-A,
until after someone in Washington talked the Commish into allowing WPTR
and WNAC to use 680 on a full-time basis) to go with a vertical.

The towers which supported the long-wire remained for a long while.

At this time, KPO, now as KNBC, had a RCA 50-D, or something like that,
and its backup was the 5 kW driver for the 50-D or a second 5 kW.

Anyway, the 5 kW limit remained at the station even after its acquisition
by that Youngstown outfit.

One of the long-wire's towers eventually came down and the remaining tower
became a vertical auxiliary antenna.

The 500' sectional main was eventually changed from "six wire" open line
to a more modern feed.

An Ampliphase replaced the 50-D, but the backup was still a 5 kW as that
was the largest diesel generator the government would give the station.

At least in KNX's case, they installed a proper vertical for their auxiliary.

While it was on the south side of the 195 degree main tower they tried a
DA-D to increase their signal in the "Inland Empire", but that didn't work
... the main tower was on the wrong side.

After the site was donated to the city as a park, the auxiliary tower was
moved to the north side of the main ... on the right side for a proper
DA-D ... but this experiment was not repeated.

Likely, they still have the DA-D phasor.

In WWL's case, they had no backup as they are DA-1.

So, a co-owned station was taken as the backup, but that station has two
towers of dissimilar heights, and the results are no good on 870 at night
... the taller tower is on the wrong side again ... with resulting
interference to brand-new (with "Rio") Class As in central and south
America, so when the WWL auxiliary is used, it is limited to 10 kW days
and 5 kW nights.

Still, it is better than trying to broadcast emergency information all the
way from Baton Rouge!

The point is, WLS got its 199' antenna licensed as an auxiliary before
anyone else (the Class II-A in Utah, for example, or any of the "Rio"
Class As) could complain.

NYC's 660 and 880 did not, and they are "ratcheted" whenever they use
their auxiliary tower.